1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of fishing lures, and includes slip sinkers utilized as part of lures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that the primary purpose of conventional fishing sinkers is to add weight near the end of the fishing line to facilitate casting and to assure that the attached fishing lure or bait is properly positioned below the surface of the water. Sinkers are usually made from lead, so that sufficient weight is obtained to perform these functions without requiring a large volume of material. Sinkers are typically small, generally irregularly shaped objects which ordinarily function only as a source of weight for the fishing line.
In contrast, fishing lures are generally designed to attract fish and to stimulate their feeding instincts. Artificial fishing lures are designed to simulate the color and the movement of a particular type of fish food, and the fish is attracted upon viewing the lure. It is also known that fish are able to detect vibrations in the water. Lures have therefore been created that will produce sound vibrations when drawn through the water, and typically these noise making fishing lures include at least one metal ball located within an airtight cavity in the lure.
The problem with the conventional noise making lures is that the noise making feature generally must be incorporated within the lure as it is manufactured. Alternatively, a silent lure may be modified to add a noise making feature, but such a noise making feature, however, is not easily incorporated within many types of lures because the movement of metal balls within the chamber interferes with the intended movement of the lure itself through the water.
The Gardner U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,539 entitled "Noise Making Slip Sinker" is an example of a component combining the functions of sinker and noise making device designed to attract fish. Utilized inside the shell or body portion of the Gardner device are a plurality of small, generally spherical metal balls, and the impact of these balls against the plastic shell produces vibrations attractive to fish. Although the Gardner device has proven to be generally successful for the device intended, it has turned out to be too bulky for many applications.
It was in an effort to overcome the disadvantages of prior art devices of these types that the present invention was evolved.